Château de Cazeneuve

Préchac, France

The Château de Cazeneuve was built along the gorges of the River Ciron and the stream of Honburens. The early castle was the former residence of the Kings of Navarre, the property of King Henry IV. It was built by Amanieu VII d'Albret on a rocky bank. It included in its enclosure the medieval mound of the 11th century preceded by a vast courtyard whose curtain walls protected the town.

Due to financial problems King Henry sold the castle in 1583. In the 17th century, the building underwent a major overhaul. The medieval castle was then transformed into a pleasant and ceremonial château. It has since been restored regularly. The castle still belongs to the Sabran-Pontevès family, descendants of the d'Albrets.

The site is made up of troglodyte caves under the castle and large underground medieval cellars. The old parts are the advanced fortifications and the moats. The buildings are a reconstruction dating from the 17th century. The royal apartments are period furnished.

The wooded park runs along the Ciron and includes the lake, the mill, the wash house and the bird island.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: 11th century
Category: Castles and fortifications in France
Historical period: Birth of Capetian dynasty (France)

Rating

4.5/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Adrigue le vert (3 years ago)
Informative. Excellent and very knowledgeable guides. Beautiful and relaxing surroundings.
Luc016 (4 years ago)
Pretty nice castle with a very big garden. Don't forget to come when the weather is nice, it's much better! To visit the interior, it has to be a guided visit so there is not the possibility to freely visit it. It is prohibited to take pictures inside which is why I am putting 4 stars. Not a very big castle but it's still something fairly nice.
Benjamin Stockman (4 years ago)
Castle with medieval roots and a history with the French royalty. Restored and well maintained by the current owners with a large selection of furniture from the different occupants.
Abdul Noor (4 years ago)
Nice find. Worth a visit.
Pete H (5 years ago)
Intetesting building in a lovely setting. The guided tour is in French but there are pamphlets in other languages to help. The guide was very helpful with limited English. The rooms are well decorated and furnished which makes for an intetesting tour. The garden and river walk are also worth visiting.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Kakesbeck Castle

Kakesbeck is one of the largest medieval fortifications in Münsterland and the oldest castle in Lüdinghausen. The imposingly grown complex originated in 1120 as a motte, a small hilltop tower castle. After numerous changes of ownership, the castle was extended onto two islands, but it was not until the 14th century that it underwent significant alterations and extensions under the von Oer family. The estate experienced its heyday in the middle of the 18th century, when it covered an area of almost one square kilometre and consisted of five further outer castles in addition to the core castle, which were secured by ramparts and moats.

The well-maintained condition of the castle today is thanks to the late Wilfried Grewing, the former lord of the castle. The foundation named after him has been particularly committed to preserving the property since 2020.